File Comparison for Windows and Mac

Last updated on: December 7, 2014

One of the greatest things you can do when looking at files to see if they have been hacked or modified is by using file comparison. When you use file comparison software, the code is side by side and it will highlight each area one by one to show you what has changed. It is very handy when going through a lot of code. Both options we are giving you are free to download and use.

Windows File Comparison

The best option in file comparison on Windows is WinMerge. WinMerge can compare both folders and files, presenting differences in a visual text format that is easy to understand and manipulate. WinMerge is also translated in many different languages.

As you can see from the screenshot, WinMerge highlights the areas that have changed on both files making finding changes very easy to spot.

Mac File Comparison

Regina and I both use Text Wrangler on the Mac. It is by far the best file comparison tool and text editor that is free I have ever used. It can be downloaded here or you can get it in your App Store. Text Wrangler also has an FTP/SFTP function.

TextWrangler is very easy to use as a file comparison tool. It will show you at the bottom what is different between the two files and will highlight within the code to show as well. It is a very user friendly application.

Bottom Line

Both WinMerge and TextWrangler can be used as a text editor and have many other features that you might find useful. Give one of them a try the next time you are wanting to see what has changed in your files. Let us know which program you use.

If you have any questions on file comparison or anything else WordPress related please let us know. We are planning one of our weekly webinars to do a demo of file comparison.

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